The Levant

THE LEVANT – Two million Muslims ritually stoned the devil Saturday in the last major ritual of this year’s hajj in Saudi Arabia, while fellow believers around the world celebrated Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice. Two million Muslims ritually stoned the devil Saturday in the last major rite of …

THE LEVANT – Surrounded by the rubble of a deadly war with Israel, Gazans marked a sombre Eid al-Adha festival Saturday with prayers and visits to the graves of relatives. Thabet al-Hamami pitched a tent by the ruins of his home – one of 60,000 totally or partially destroyed by …

THE LEVANT – Israel has hit out at Sweden’s newly elected prime minister Stefan Loefven over his decision to recognise a Palestinian state. “Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that he regrets that the new prime minister was in a hurry to make statements on Sweden’s position regarding recognition of a …

By Nasser Sahah – The sectarian strife in Yemen we’re facing is not only a political crisis but a sectarian one. It has existed for years but now it’s out in the open; Sunni-Shiite tensions are rising in Yemen. Yemeni Zaidis, from the Shia school of thought, accounts for 40 …

THE LEVANT – By Franklin Lamb – It is a truly unique cultural heritage site, the hamlet of Ma’aloula, with Christian sanctuaries and monuments stretching back for more than 16 centuries into the past, yet it has been scarred, traumatized, desecrated and deeply wounded by the war in Syria. Situated …

THE LEVANT – The White House welcomed Friday the Australian government’s deployment of fighter aircraft to participate in airstrikes on ISIL in Iraq as well as its intention to deploy Special Forces to Iraq to advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces. According to a White House statement, “With these deployments, …

THE LEVANT – Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a message to the Hajj pilgrims on Friday. The full text of the message is as follows: In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds and Allah’s Greetings to Mohammad …

THE LEVANT – By Hamid Reza Kamali – Iran and Saudi Arabia are two important countries in a region, which plays a pivotal role in historical changes and developments. Iran has a history which dates back to thousands of years ago and is the remaining part of ancient empires whose …

THE LEVANT – Israeli occupation military officer said that “the upcoming war on Gaza will be greater, and will down more victims,” Israeli sources say. Eyal Eizenberg, Israeli Occupation Army Home Front Command, in a lecture in The Institute for National Security Studies (Tel Aviv University), said that “the recent …

THE LEVANT – Syrian troops have seized a village just north of Aleppo that could allow them to cut off a supply line to rebel-held districts of the country’s second city, a monitoring group said Friday. Soldiers, backed by fighters from Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, took Handarat, four kilometres (2.5 …

THE LEVANT – Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad made a rare public appearance on Saturday, attending prayers on the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday at a mosque in Damascus, state media said. State media and Assad’s official Twitter feed posted photos of the embattled president praying alongside the country’s top cleric and …

THE LEVANT – Israeli Defense Forces soldiers reportedly just shot another child in the tiny Gaza Strip this week. The Palestinian teenager was from the city of Beit Lahia in the north of Gaza according to our sources. Doctors in the region say that Jalal Abu Jarad, 16, had been shot by …

THE LEVANT – A new video has surfaced showing Islamic State militants allegedly beheading UK aid worker Alan Henning, the Associated Press reports. According to AP, the footage shows an Islamic State (ISIS / ISIL) militant murdering Henning before threatening to also kill American Peter Edward Kassig. Before ending the …

THE LEVANT – A wave of violence between militia groups vying for power is sweeping across parts of Libya, prompting international organizations to put forth an ambitious plan to provide humanitarian aid to 85,000 people by the end of this year. Yet concerns remain over the feasibility of such an operation, …

THE LEVANT – For several days, Um Ibrahim’s walls shook as she tried to keep her two children calm. Her 18-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter are both physically and mentally handicapped, unable to walk on their own, so she had little choice but to stay put in her one-bedroom shelter in …

THE LEVANT – Former Pentagon chief Leon Panetta has denounced the White House in a new memoir, accusing President Barack Obama’s top aides of undercutting efforts to secure a deal in 2011 that could have kept US troops in Iraq. Retaining a small US force would have helped contain sectarian …

THE LEVANT – The European Union on Friday condemned an Israeli plan to build 2,610 new settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem, calling it “highly detrimental” to diplomatic efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Brussels called on Israel to “urgently reverse” actions leading to settlement expansion in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians …

THE LEVANT – Tears flowed and prayers filled the air as the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage by almost two million believers from around the world reached its zenith Friday on a vast Saudi plain. “I am now a newborn baby and I don’t have any sin,” Nigerian pilgrim Taofik Odunewu …

THE LEVANT – Muslim pilgrims from around the world were arriving late Thursday at Mount Arafat in western Saudi Arabia for the annual hajj pilgrimage, the spiritual peak of their lives. A pillar of the Islamic faith, hajj this year comes against the backdrop of widespread revulsion among Muslims towards …

THE LEVANT – Developer Nakheel has awarded a contract worth almost AED120 million ($32.6 million) for infrastructure work at its Al Furjan community in Dubai. The agreement with Dubai-based Target & Jima Construction Company covers the construction of 16km of roads and the preparation of nearly 500 third party villa …

THE LEVANT – A ‘bingo’ deal? You’ll know it when you see it,” says Jassim Alseddiqi. “Before you execute that transaction, before you get the money. The ‘bingo’ feel of the transaction happens when you first source it.” Alseddiqi knows that moment better than most. As the chief executive of …

THE LEVANT – One of the UAE’s biggest food and beverage groups has announced the appointment of a new CEO. Agthia Group named Iqbal Hamzah as CEO, effective immediately, having previously held the position of Group chief financial officer and company secretary. Since May, he has also been acting CEO. …

THE LEVANT – More than two dozen rights groups on Thursday called for the release of Syrian human rights lawyer Khalil Maatouq, two years after his “enforced disappearance” in Damascus. The appeal was co-signed by 26 human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders and several …

THE LEVANT – Turkey’s parliament Thursday authorised military action against the Islamic State jihadist group, whose fighters have battled their way to the doorstep of a key town across the border in Syria. The move allows the deployment of armed forces in Syria and Iraq, as well as the transit …

THE LEVANT – Oman’s royal court sought to reassure the nation Thursday about the health of 73-year-old ruler Sultan Qaboos who has been undergoing treatment in Germany for almost three months. “The sultan is in good health and continuing to follow the medical treatment he has been prescribed and which …

THE LEVANT – At least 13 Libyan soldiers were killed and more than 70 wounded Thursday in car bombings and clashes with Islamists around the airport in the restive eastern city of Benghazi, military sources said. Two car bombs targeted an army convoy, killing three soldiers, while at least 10 …

THE LEVANT – Turkey’s parliament on Thursday gave the government the green light to deploy the Turkish armed forces to combat Islamist jihadists in Syria and Iraq. In the 550 seat chamber, 298 deputies approved allowing the use of the armed forces in the neighbouring countries as well as for foreign …

THE LEVANT – Israel is tightening security in flashpoint mixed Jewish-Muslim areas to ward off possible unrest this weekend when two important religious festivals coincide for the first time in three decades. The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur begins on Friday evening, followed on Saturday by Muslim Eid al-Adha, against …

THE LEVANT – The UN Security Council on Thursday threatened sanctions against those who reject peace in Libya in a bid to shore up UN-brokered talks on ending the violence. UN special envoy Bernardino Leon held a first round of talks with rival politicians on September 29 that the council …

THE LEVANT – Iran warned neighbouring Turkey Thursday against doing anything that might aggravate tensions in the region, after the parliament in Ankara voted to authorise military intervention in Syria and Iraq. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke by telephone with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, and “criticised the method …

THE LEVANT – By Jonathan Cook – What is Israel’s endgame in Gaza? It is a question that has been puzzling analysts and observers for some time. But indications of the future Israel and Washington may have in mind for Gaza are emerging. Desperately overcrowded, short on basic resources like …

THE LEVANT – Turkey has deployed tanks and armored vehicles to reinforce its border with Syria as the Turkish parliament prepares to authorize military action against Islamic State (IS) jihadists. But analysts warn these moves are being met with resistance as questions remain over what form military action would take. …

THE LEVANT – By Aaron Heller – It used to be that if you wanted to join one of the world’s most secretive espionage organizations you had to sneak into a foreign embassy, answer a cryptic newspaper ad or show up in a nondescript building in Tel Aviv to meet …

THE LEVANT – In a blistering speech to the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Monday that Hamas and the Islamic State group are “branches of the same poisonous tree,” both bent on world domination through terror, just as the Nazis were. Netanyahu also lashed back at …

THE LEVANT – Iran will supply the Lebanese army with military equipment to be used in fighting Muslim extremist groups, a visiting senior Iranian official said on Tuesday. The announcement marks the first time that Iran has said it would give Lebanon military assistance. Tehran has offered help in the …

THE LEVANT – By Ayat Mneina – Grieving friends and admirers of Tawfik Bensaud and Sami El-Kawafi have started a social media campaign in their names less than a week after their assassinations. This is the first time the vicious operation against Benghazi and Derna-which has previously targeted Libyan military figures, judges, …

THE LEVANT – By Ammar Karim – As Iraqi forces struggle to pin back the Islamic State group on the ground, Baghdad is taking its war against the jihadists to the airwaves with a television comedy series. As Iraqi forces struggle to pin back the Islamic State group on the …

THE LEVANT – Syria will not begin talks to end the three-and-a-half-year war while Islamist militants are rampaging through the country, the foreign minister told the United Nations on Monday. “We cannot start any political solution while terrorism is still rampant in Syria,” Foreign Minister Walid Mualem told the UN …

THE LEVANT – Turkey on Monday deployed tanks and armoured vehicles to reinforce its border with Syria amid escalating Islamic State violence, as parliament is set to consider whether to authorise military action against IS jihadists. Turkey on Monday deployed tanks and armoured vehicles to reinforce its border with Syria …

THE LEVANT – The Palestine Liberation Organisation said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blatantly manipulated the facts when he compared Hamas with the Islamic State group in a UN speech on Monday. “Netanyahu’s speech at the UN was a blatant manipulation of facts and attempted at misleading the audience through …

THE LEVANT – Kurdish troops backed by warplanes battled the Islamic State group on three fronts in northern Iraq Tuesday, clawing back land lost to the jihadists in recent months. The peshmerga struck before dawn against the town of Rabia on the Syrian border, north of the jihadist-controlled second city …

THE LEVANT – As they gather in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca for the annual hajj, some pilgrims have denounced atrocities by Islamic State group jihadists as “a virus” threatening the world. But many also expressed concerns about the US-led air war against them. “Islam is innocent from actions …

THE LEVANT – US warplanes launched multiple strikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, seeking to turn up the heat on jihadists as Britain carried out its first air raids against the group. IS militants closing in on a key town near the Turkish border were …